We're Back...

Sorry about not posting for almost a month. We've been busy. However, Bethany intends to post a lot the rest of the summer (I'll be busy).

I wrote this "definition" for a contest. There are 15 winners, and the prize is an autographed CD by Jonny Diaz (who wrote the song "More Beautiful You") and a one year subscription to Susie magazine. Ten of the winners would have their definitions in the magazine, and one grand prize winner (chosen randomly) would be given an iPod Nano. All you have to do is send in your definition of beauty.

I had written and edited my definition several times, and sent it to my friend to see what she thought. I had already pasted it into the submission form and was just waiting for Bethany to reply to the e-mail. Well, when she finally did, she broke the news to me. Floridians can't enter! Oh, well. At least I have a blog post now. Here's what I wrote:

What makes a person beautiful? I myself had to think quite a bit before I could answer. My conclusion is, someone who’s filled with the fruit of the spirit.

Someone who loves as Jesus loved. Is filled with spiritual joy. Makes peace. Waits patiently. Always looks for opportunities to show kindness. Does good in other’s lives. Is firmly grounded in their faith. Is of a gentile spirit. And finally, someone who uses self control in their actions.

In my opinion, that’s what makes a person beautiful. And if you’re that lovely inside, who cares what you look like on the outside?

(Copyright © Tori Tj)

The contest ends on the 30th of June. If you want to enter, just go to the magazine website.

Tori

What If?

I was thinking the other day, and I started wondering... What if?What would happen if the church were to arise and take her rightful place? What if we lifted the name of the Lord as a banner over our city? If we said “no more.”? What if we actually tried to make a difference? If we firmly took hold of every promise that God has given us? If we found our confidence in Him? If we stopped looking to the ways of the world? If we took a stand for truth?



What if enough of us took a stand that we could turn our nation back to God? What if loving God and turning souls to Him was all that really mattered to us? What if we were to turn from our sins and confess Jesus as Lord? What then?


Would it make a difference? Could you be the one to make the change? Are you willing to hunger after God for all that you’re worth? Would you devote your life to something this big, focusing on a heavenly reward? Make the change. Stand for Jesus.



Romans 12:2 ~Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (NIV)



1 Peter 1:14 ~As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. (NIV)



Bethany:)

Where We've Been on the 'Net

I decided to copy a favorite blog of mine, and show you "A trace of where we’ve been on the web this week:"


Please Pass the Tie-Dye If we are all fearfully and wonderfully made, why dress up? Why wear makeup? Why wear matching socks? Read on as Beauty From the Heart's Hannah Farver shares her thoughts on the subject.


Covered While reading one of our favorite blog/webzines, Crosseyed, we found this article about how big Jesus' sacrifice for our sins really is. We know you already know everything there is to know about it already, but this article puts a new light on the subject, and is worth a few minutes of your time.

There Will Be a Day A blog post inspired by Jeremy Camp's song of the same name. It discusses Heaven and having an eternal perspective. We found this on Bloom!, the blog we got this posting idea from (though we don't plan on doing it weekly).

Others May, You Cannot We read a post on the blog "Whatever Is," which really inspired us. It was an excerpt from what we thought was another's blog. But when we looked for the blog so we could just link you to it, we found that it was an excerpt from Buell H. Kazee's book Faith is the Victory. So, now we're just linking you to "Whatever Is."

Hope these posts are encouraging and inspiring,

Tori and Bethany:)

Scammed?

As my mom and I entered the Christian bookstore at the strip mall, a woman sitting on a nearby bench called out "Mam? Mam! I'm a single mom, out of work, and I was wondering if you would buy something from me so I can buy some groceries?" A little girl in a bright yellow shirt sat next to her, presumably her daughter.

"I'll think about. Will you still be here when I come out?" My mom asked. But I didn't hear the lady's reply as we walked into the store.

I couldn't help but think to myself she sure knew what she was doing, picking the Christian bookstore as her "shop."

At the checkout counter, my mom asked the our cashier "Do you know anything about the lady out front who is trying to sell something?"

"No," she replied. "I didn't know there was anyone out there."

"She said she's a single mom and wanted money for food." My mom explained. The cashier gave one of those knowing looks.

"I guess I'll have to call security on her." She said she hated doing it. But we understood. No solicitors.

My mom and I paused before walking out the door. There was no avoiding the situation. It's not that we didn't want to help her, but... The lady was still there, and when my mom told her that she didn't like giving money away to strangers, the lady's face fell a little. "I'm trying to think of what's around here..." My mom said. It was then I realized my mother's intention. She was going to buy the lady's groceries.

"There's a Winn-Dixie across the street," The lady replied, pointing to the busy intersection on her left. "You could buy me a gift card," she suggested hopefully.

"I don't think so." My mom replied. "I'd like to go with you. I'll drive over and you meet me there.

When, the lady did show up, along with her daughter my mom asked "Where do you live?" The lady named an area nearby.

As we walked along the grocery aisle, the girl fell in step next to me. Before I could utter a word, she piped up, "What's your name?"

"Tori." I replied. "What's yours?"

"Gabriell. I think Tori is a pretty name."

"Where do you go to school?"

"P-------- Elementary." The school she named was in the opposite direction where she supposedly lived. "Do you want to be friends?" I said sure. She chatted on about this and that, asking me questions, even made me do a pirouette when she found out I did ballet. I found out that she had a nine year old brother.

After we had checked out, Gabriell's mom said to the cashier, "Is there a place I can put my cart? I need to go get some bread." My mom and I went out to the car.

"Should we wait and see if her friend comes to pick her up?" My mom asked. The lady had told us a friend would pick her up. I did wonder why she had stayed in the store and not come out with us.

"No, it's none of our business," I replied. Actually, it was. After all, we had just bought her groceries. But what was done was done. "Give to those who ask," right?

As we pulled away, we saw a man, possibly the father, walk into the store with a boy who may have been nine.

A single mom? Maybe. Out of a job? Maybe. Lives in that certain area of town? Doubtless. We were probably ripped off. However it's not my place to judge, though I have done a good bit of supposing. I just hope that what my mom and I did had some sort of positive impact on this lady and her daughter.

Tori
P.S. On a side not, if you can ever help it, don't go to Winn-Dixie at night. It's kind of scary.

Reminder

This is just a reminder- The Dove Awards air tomorrow, Thursday, starting at 8 PM ET. However, if you miss them, they air again twice after that. They are approximately two hours, but just approximately. They are shown on the Gospel Music Channel. Be sure to tune in!

Are You Scared?

Recently God has taught me a few things about fear. It all started when I got a creepy chain email. It was a story about a girl who died an awful death, and another kid who got “taken” by her “ghost” and died in the same way. It then threatened that if you didn’t forward this email to your friends, her “ghost” will come for you.

Even though I don’t believe in ghosts at all, and the story was not logically sound, the enemy gripped my heart with fear. I spent some time praying and in the word for a while. Later, I checked Snopes. I found an article about it, and, not surprisingly, it said that the whole thing was false. The crew at Snopes had done some extensive research that showed that there were no deaths any place in the U.S. of that kind anywhere near the date specified in the email.

Nevertheless, I am very grateful for some of the lessons that I was able to learn. There are so many people who are so fearful. They are believing the lies. One girl who had forwarded it at one point wrote “It’s true! Cameron (the girl) don’t come for me!” I am sure that many people forwarded it out of fear. They didn’t want to die, and they though that forwarding that email would protect them. They didn’t understand that “The Lord almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, He is the one you are to fear, He is the one you are to dread.” Isaiah 8:13

Although I experienced some fear, I didn't forward the email. I deleted it. God controls my fate, not some stupid chain email.
-Bethany

I emailed this story to Tori after it happened, and she replied with a tale of her own. Her it is (with her permission, of course):

Do you remember the time a few years ago when I was kind of depressed because I had had an awful nightmare? I had let the Spirit of Fear take hold of me. The thing I saw is something one could very easily do, though the results that came of it were outlandish and si-fi -impossible. So I wasn't that scared, but I was depressed. Do you know how many times after a nightmare I've wondered: "How do people who don't know Jesus cope with this?" Whenever I had a bad dream, I would go and wake my mom. She would escort me back to my bed, pray with me, and leave. I don't know why (though I do know), but that always had a calming effect on me. I wasn't scared after that and was able to go back to sleep.



Anyway, there's the long version. Here it is in a nutshell: Jesus conquers fear, and I don't know how people can live without Him!

-Tori



If you ever receive a suspicious chain email, you can search at http://www.snopes.com/ and they can tell you the status of it. This is at least the third chain email myth that it has dispelled for me.



In closing, I just wanted to share a verse with you. It's 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."



Bethany:)

Good Friday

Today is, for many, a holiday with a small amount of mourning. People go to the beach or theater and hang out while taking the day off. Of course, for some, Good Friday is just like any other Friday. But in my family, Good Friday is pretty much the same as Memorial Day Weekend minus the home school convention that happens on that date each year. The other main difference is this day is set aside to remember the death of Christ instead of our war heroes.

On this day, I have mixed feelings because as I mourn Christ's crucifixion, my thoughts can't help but jump ahead three days in history to rejoice in His Resurrection. His humiliating death on the cross was terrible. Yet I know that He is not still dead- He is alive, and I cannot cry over his seeming destruction while I know this truth: He is risen. And the purpose for which He died is amazing. He died so my sins might be forgiven. Because of the events that happened on this day centuries ago, I will live eternally.

Tori
P.S. For a short touching story of Jesus' Crucifixion, read chapter 11, "Remember Me" of Chuck Colson's book Loving God.